Premier Li meets Merkel via video link

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meets with German Chancellor Angela Merkel via video link in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 18, 2021. (Xinhua/Liu Bin)

BEIJING, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel via video link on Monday, vowing that China stands ready to work with Germany to tackle global challenges.

Li spoke highly of Merkel's vigorous efforts to promote Germany and Europe's practical cooperation and friendly relations with China, and said both China and Germany are committed to expanding their common interests on the basis of equality and mutual benefit.

Noting that China-Germany cooperation has taken the lead in China-EU cooperation, Li said the stability and growth of bilateral relations are mainly due to the fact that both sides adhere to equal treatment and focus on practical cooperation, adhere to mutual respect and properly handle differences, adhere to multilateralism and work together to tackle challenges.

The healthy and stable development of bilateral relations benefits not only the two countries, but also the world, he added.

Li said that China will, as always, attach great importance to developing relations with Germany and hopes that the new German government will inherit the positive and practical China policy, consolidate the keynote of cooperation in China-Germany relations, give full play to the inter-governmental consultations and strengthen the existing cooperation.

Li said China is willing to work with all parties, including Germany, to jointly address climate change and strengthen anti-pandemic cooperation.

Underlining that China's door will only open wider, Li voiced the hope that both sides will maintain two-way opening, jointly safeguard the rule-based multilateral trading system, and maintain the stability of the global industrial and supply chains.

Li invited Merkel to visit China after her resignation and hoped she would continue to support the development of China's relations with Germany and the EU.

Merkel said that, over the past decade or so, Germany and China have maintained close exchanges, deepened mutual understanding and expanded cooperation in various fields.

Commending China's vigorous development, she said that Germany stands ready to work with China to continue enhancing practical cooperation and expanding people-to-people exchanges, and hoped that German enterprises would have equal access to China's market.

Merkel said she believed the new German government would continue to attach great importance to relations with China and hoped that the two sides would take the opportunity of celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2022 to promote the further development of the all-round strategic partnership between the two sides.